The Irish standard., 1887-11-19

any of the distinctive men eff the time
He always admired him, but the dis.
tinctive place in the poetry Of that tirne
was given to the poet who fed and or,
ganized the movement of lG43. Let
them take the poems of Thomas Davis
Where did they get a more perfect ex.
position OF the National feeling, the
national sentiment and aspiration, and
the sights and scenes Of lrelandY With
all Thomas Moore's perception of Irish
feeling he did not think that he had
mirrored the landscape and scenery OF
Ireland so much as Thomas Davis. lie
had lived all his life in England, and
was, OF necessity, compelled to address
English audiences, and in describing
Irish scenery fell back upon generali-
ties. Davis was the man who led the
way in that sort of thoroughly Irish
poetrv--his poems mirrored every
movement Of the Irish mind. Ireland
must be extinguished and forgotten al
| together before Davis could be forgot
ten as poet. He gave voice to Irish
feeling which it had not before. Tne,
the younger men of l54S used to dispute
| whether their chairman that night was
not entitled TO as high place as Davis
(cheers), Among other poets Of the
time he enumerated Edward Walsh.
We must remember that they had in
spired Irish women (cheers). He re-
ferred next to John Mitchell, whose
writings he highly eulogised. The ira
ditions OF 184S and it's literature had
come down to them in the present time.
The imbression made by the literature
of 1S4S had never faded from their
minds and their history: he thought he
might say of the men ct 184S that they
did actually open up new chapter in
the history Of Ireland by their teaching
and writing. They led the way for all
that happened since that time (cheers).
They used to be called dreamers i'll
those days, and dreamels they were, no
doubt, to those who could remember
the condition of Ireland after the Irish
Famine; and after the death Of O'Con-
nell it did seem the widest OF dreams
on The part Of those young enthusiasts
when they thought they could form an
Irish literature out OF the wreck and
welter that lay around them, and that
they could induce the Irish people to go
steadily on again towards a. great ma
tional goal and purpose (cheers) Yes,
they were dreamers, but no great effort
had ever yet been begun but by the
dreamers and poets (cheers), They saw
in their dreams what wise, practical
men of the world did not and could not
see They saw all Ireland regenerated
and restored, an Ireland capable Of
holding her own again and destined to
assert and make manifest her nation
ality lcheers} Ireland would not be
what she is Dow. brought within mea.
surable distance of accomplishing all
her purposes, but for the dreaners and
poets of 1849, They would go on from
success to success {hear, heat). He
would say nothing now ABOUT carrying
their purpose with reference to national
government for Ireland (cheers). That,
of course, was settled already. There
was mo man iu his senses in this
country, he did not care who he might
be-and he included in that description
Mr.. Smith, and even Mr.. Ralfour
(laughter) who did not kno" III his
heart and admit to his friends that the
question Of Home Rule was settled
(cheers). They had only got TO arrange
the terms-they had only to see to q
ratification or the treaty--but let him
tell them as a practical politician chat
the battle was virtually over, and the
whole question was coming to an end
Qaughter). About that, then, l need
say nothinp; they would have their Irish
National Parliament, aad he hoped
they would so OIL from success to s!lc
cess They had praclival work to do;
they had to make Ireland a commercial
success, but that they would do. They
would get over the material difficulties,
they would bring back trade and pros
perity to their country, and be hoped
that in the end they would make Ire
land success from a commercial point
of view. SO that the most hard hsaded
trading Englishman would say that
they had done we'll (cheers) In the
midst of their prosperity he hoped they
would have the satisfaction of retnem-
bering tnatit was not even the prac-
tical men who accompli all that for
Ireland, but that the work was inspired
and really done for them by the poets
and the dreamers-by the men and wo-
men who aroused Ireland from her ma
1tional lethargy the literature Of l84S5
(cheers) a5ss
Sir Charles Gayan Duffy, in putting to
the meeting q vote OF thanks to the lee
stnrer said he sympath athized with what!
his friend had said about their cong nest;
5ofS English stong que, ,and# they would